Therapist tells story of life’s journey

Published: Friday, June 13, 2014 at 09:43 PM.

PANAMA CITY — Thomas Winterman’s journey to become a therapist wasn’t an easy one.

Seven years ago, Winterman was an overweight college dropout in a dead-end job he hated. But an epiphany set him on a different path, leading him to become the therapist he is today.

He wrote about his change in a book named “The Thrive Life.” On June 27, he will host a party and be on hand to sign his new book from 5-8 p.m. at the Wine Dog, 103 W. 23rd St., Panama City.

Winterman said the realization he wanted to change wasn’t the result of any big changes in his life.

“I was driving a delivery truck, and I just had this thought that one day I would have a son and he would have a career day at school and I would be embarrassed to come,” he said.

It wasn’t driving a delivery truck that embarrassed him, Winterman clarified; it was that he felt he’d settled.

“I gave up on being good at something,” he said, “No matter how much I told (my son), ‘You need to work,’ my actions said, ‘Do what you want to do you,’ and, ‘You don’t ever have to be great,’ and that’s what really drove me to change.”

PANAMA CITY — Thomas Winterman’s journey to become a therapist wasn’t an easy one.

Seven years ago, Winterman was an overweight college dropout in a dead-end job he hated. But an epiphany set him on a different path, leading him to become the therapist he is today.

He wrote about his change in a book named “The Thrive Life.” On June 27, he will host a party and be on hand to sign his new book from 5-8 p.m. at the Wine Dog, 103 W. 23rd St., Panama City.

Winterman said the realization he wanted to change wasn’t the result of any big changes in his life.

“I was driving a delivery truck, and I just had this thought that one day I would have a son and he would have a career day at school and I would be embarrassed to come,” he said.

It wasn’t driving a delivery truck that embarrassed him, Winterman clarified; it was that he felt he’d settled.

“I gave up on being good at something,” he said, “No matter how much I told (my son), ‘You need to work,’ my actions said, ‘Do what you want to do you,’ and, ‘You don’t ever have to be great,’ and that’s what really drove me to change.”

Since that day, Winterman lost more than 80 pounds, went back to school, got a master’s degree in psychology and now works with the Children’s Home Society. He is happily married and has two children. He said he finds “a lot of pride” in his work.

“One day I decided that I wanted to make a change for my life and from that day forward, every day since then, I’ve been improving myself in some way,” Winterman said.

Winterman plans to continue these daily improvements because, he says, “you’re never done.”

With his book, Winterman hopes to share with others what he learned the hard way. The book, which Winterman self-published, is based on three psychological therapeutic principles: choice theory and reality therapy, solution-focused therapy and existential therapy, which all teach that people have the capacity to change.

“The book is a master class in goal-setting,” he said. “Goal setting is skill; it’s not a talent. It’s something we have to practice.”

Winterman advised against setting “too big” goals, which can be overwhelming, and to see failures as learning opportunities.

“There’s no such thing as failure. You’re just learning a different way to do it; you’re learning what doesn’t work,” he said.

“The Thrive Life” is available on Amazon.com as a hard copy or e-book. Winterman also writes a blog at TheThriveLife.org.